June 16, 2008

China completes 80 percent of summer wheat harvest

Around 18.5 million hectares of wheat, or 80 percent of the total wheat crop, has been harvested by Saturday (June 14, 2008), China's Ministry of Agriculture said.

Shandong province's harvest, earlier hampered by diesel shortages, accelerated as more supplies arrived.

Shandong farmers in have cleared about 75 percent of the wheat fields. However, heavy rain hampered work in Hebei Province.

Meanwhile, Jiangsu province has almost finished harvesting, the ministry said.

The exact size of the wheat harvest is not yet known, as the grain must be processed.

Agriculture minister Sun Zhengcai in late May expressed optimism for a good harvest, saying total output would rise for a fifth consecutive year.

Summer crops usually account for about 23 percent of China's annual grain output.